There’s a moment every teacher knows.
You begin a story – maybe one you half-remember from childhood, maybe something you grabbed from the shelf on instinct – and the room changes. Shoulders drop. Eyes lift. Children who normally struggle to settle lean in. Someone whispers, “Don’t stop…”.
For a few minutes, you feel the whole class travelling together. Most teachers tell us they wish they could bottle that moment. And now, you can.
Start With Story, written by storyteller Sita Brand and primary teacher Emma Thompson, with a foreword from education expert Jean Gross CBE, is officially out in the world. And it’s here to make those magical learning moments everyday rather than accidental.
A book written for teachers, not about teachers
This book was born from classrooms like yours – busy, overstretched, full of children with different needs, different ways of learning, different energies on different days.
It doesn’t ask you to become a performer. It doesn’t ask you to find extra hours you simply don’t have. It doesn’t ask you to add “storytelling expert” to the job description you’re already doing brilliantly.
Instead, Start With Story gives you a simple, powerful three-question framework that works with any story, any subject, any year group.
Jean Gross CBE captures it perfectly in her foreword:
“I was hooked from the first moment. This book shows teachers how to use stories in ways that take minimal time but yield huge returns in children’s learning. If there’s one thing this made me wish, it was that I could go back into the classroom.”
Why stories? Because children learn differently when narrative is involved
You already know it. Research proves it. And Start With Story shows you exactly how to use it.
Stories make learning stick. They make abstract ideas make sense. They calm busy classrooms. They build empathy, oracy, vocabulary, curiosity and independence.
And crucially, stories save teaching time.
When children understand concepts faster, you spend less time reteaching, less time managing behaviour, and more time getting to the good stuff.
Inside the book you’ll find:
✔ A deceptively simple three-question method that turns any tale into purposeful teaching
✔ Ready-to-use examples linked directly to curriculum objectives
✔ A five-minute planning template (that actually takes five minutes)
✔ Strategies that boost engagement and reduce explanation time
✔ Guidance on whole-school implementation
✔ Evidence from neuroscience, cognitive psychology and real classrooms
✔ Dozens of stories mapped to English, science, history, PSHE and more
This is the bridge between “storytime” and teaching through story.
The teacher behind the toolkit
Emma Thompson, a trained primary teacher, brings years of classroom experience to the framework. She saw first-hand how stories helped her pupils deepen understanding, ask better questions, and hold onto knowledge long after a lesson ended.
Her approach strips story-based teaching of its mystery and makes it something every teacher can use confidently, even if you’ve never told a story aloud in your life.
The storyteller behind the spark
Sita Brand has spent decades collecting and telling stories around the world. She’s seen how narrative shifts behaviour, builds resilience and transforms wellbeing. Through Settle Stories’ work in schools, she saw how powerful story could be when placed in the hands of teachers.
Start With Story brings those two worlds together: teacher practicality + story magic = deeper learning with less stress
This book is for you if…
- You want children to remember what you’ve taught
- You want calmer, more connected classrooms
- You want a teaching tool that works instantly, not after hours of planning
- You want learning to feel joyful again
- You know story works – you just need a way to use it purposefully
Start With Story is now available
And teachers are already telling us the same thing:
“This finally gives us a way to use stories without adding to our workload.”
If you’ve ever wished you could make those “leaning-in moments” happen more often. If you’ve ever wondered how to help children care more about what they’re learning. If you’ve ever wanted a teaching approach that lifts both you and your class.
Start With Story was written for you.
Because when teachers start with story, everything changes.
